Plant
Murumuru
Astrocaryum murumuru
Also known as: Astrocaryum murumuru, murumuru palm
A spiny Amazonian palm whose seed kernels yield a hard white butter rich in lauric acid — used as a cosmetic emollient and, increasingly, as a vegan substitute for cocoa or shea butter in confectionery and skincare. Wild-harvested from Amazonian *várzea* (floodplain) forest.
Scientific
Astrocaryum murumuru (family Arecaceae) is a clustering palm of Amazonian floodplain forest (várzea and igapó), reaching 10–15 m. Trunks and rachises are armed with long black spines. Fruits are 4–6 cm fibrous drupes containing oil-rich kernels.
Murumuru butter is solid at room temperature, melts on skin, and is dominated by lauric, myristic, and oleic acids — chemically close to coconut and palm-kernel oils. The butter is white, mildly nutty in odour, and stable.
Cultural and historical
Long used by Amazonian Indigenous and Ribeirinho peoples for hair and skin care. Has entered global commerce since the 2000s as a vegan, deforestation-free cocoa-butter and shea-butter substitute, marketed by cooperatives in Pará and Amapá.
See also
Auto-generated from this entry’s typed relations: frontmatter, grouped by relation type so the editorial signal isn’t flattened.
- Shares approach with: [[tucuma]]
- Member of: [[plants]]
- Contained by: [[amazon-basin]]
- Harvested by: [[extractivism]]
- Produced by: [[cnpo-grupo-de-produtores-nilson-ribeiro-santo-antonio-do-taua-pa]]
What links here, and how
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Practical
produces
shares approach with
- Tucumã both Astrocaryum palms; both yield seed butters for cosmetics
2 inbound links · 4 outbound